‘Poochte hain woh ki Ghalib kaun hain, koi batao ki hum batlayein kya...’ and other shayaris of Mirza Ghalib resounded the halls of MCM DAV College, Sector 36, on Wednesday.
A generation which has grown up listening to the usual Punjabi hip hop or rap, reciting the complicated poetry of Mirza Ghalib, in Urdu, was like living a dream. The college had organised a one-day national seminar celebrating 220 years of Mirza Ghalib, a prominent Urdu and a Persian-language poet.
Quoting the legendary poet, “Hui muddat ki Ghalib mar gaya, par yaad aata hai...,” NGO Rekhta’s senior advisor and retired English professor, Jamia Milia Islamia University (JMIU), professor Anisur Rehman set the lecture rolling.
Speaking on ‘Ghalib: Our Contemporary’, Prof Rehman said, “It is impossible to even attempt to critically evaluate a legendary and complex poet like Ghalib.”
Social media has made poets more famous
Tracing his biographical details , prose writing, letter writing, professor Rehman described him as an historian whose unusual imaginative vitality, linguistic innovation and inimitable language distinguished him from his contemporaries. He said, “The social media has made these poets more famous, attracting a larger audience.” Talking about Urdu as a language, he said, “Urdu will remain immortal.”
Meanwhile Prof Gurupdesh Singh (retd), Guru Nanak Dev University , Amritsar in his lecture on ‘Invocation to Diwan-E-Ghalib’ said, Ghalib assimilated diverse influences effortlessly by blending elements of Persian and Urdu. “Ghalib’s poetry had a pattern with layers of meaning,” said Singh. “Ghalib continues to be a popular poet because of the magical appeal of his work.” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile Prof Gurupdesh Singh (retd), Guru Nanak Dev University , Amritsar in his lecture on ‘Invocation to Diwan-E-Ghalib’ said, Ghalib assimilated diverse influences effortlessly by blending elements of Persian and Urdu. “Ghalib’s poetry had a pattern with layers of meaning,” said Singh. “Ghalib continues to be a popular poet because of the magical appeal of his work.” he said.
{{/usCountry}}In another lecture on 'Ghalib ke Muhaware', professor Abdullah Bismillah (retd), JMIU opined that a new dimension emerges every time one reads Ghalib. He shared examples of humour and extensive usage of idioms in Ghalib’s poetry.
The poet of masses
Professor Satish Kumar Verma of Punjabi University, Patiala, while sharing his thoughts on ‘Ghalib- Ek Punarchintan’ referred to Ghalib as the poet of the masses who struck a chord with them.
Students also presented a musical rendition on Mirza Ghalib. “Koi umeed bar nahi aati…”; “Dile naadan tujhe hua kya hai..” ; “Yeh na thi hamari kismet..” were some of the ghazals presented during the event.The students also translated Ghalib’s work. Col. GS Chadha (retd) registrar, Panjab University was the chief guest on the occasion.